He asked Pei Xuanjing, "Are you the Immortal Taoist, Pei Xuanjing, who is now revered as the first under the heavens in the Ancestral World?"
Da Xue ancient country!
Zhao Baiyang and the others became even more confused. In their knowledge, they had never heard of this name.
"It's the Da Xue ancient country!" Bai Xiaosheng quickly recalled some memories in his mind, he said in a deep voice.
"You know this power?" The Qingxu Taoist asked, "Why have I never heard of this power before?"
The rest of the people also turned their eyes to Bai Xiaosheng, wanting to hear his explanation.
After a deep look at the two, Bai Xiaosheng slowly began, "According to some fragmented records of my Bai Xiaosheng lineage, the Da Xue ancient country was a force from an ancient time before Heaven and Earth changed. Even during the prosperous cultivation period of the Tang Dynasty, the Da Xue ancient country was a major power."
What a background!
Zhao Baiyang and the others were taken aback. They couldn't believe they would hear this news and encounter such a power.
Xue Hanyi glanced at Bai Xiaosheng with a hint of deep meaning in her eyes, a trace of surprise churning in her heart.
Initially, she thought all the various forces had already left, but it turned out that Bai's lineage stayed behind in the Ancestral Land.
If so, besides Bai Xiaosheng's lineage, wouldn't the other powers possibly have a backup plan in place?
"What he said is right." Smothering his doubt, he laughed and said, "Originally, I thought everything from the past had disappeared, that the Ancestral Land would no longer remember us, but I didn't expect that there were still people who knew."
"It's really true!"
"Why would a power from thousands of years ago appear now?"
"From the implication of his words, it seems that the Da Xue ancient country he mentioned still exists, this…"
Originally, they thought that the powers before the Tang Dynasty had already disappeared. Now suddenly a Da Xue ancient country appeared, causing waves in their hearts. Their emotions were surging and it took a long time for them to calm down.
Pei Xuanjing spoke loudly, "I'm curious, when did you return, why did you come, and why have you been hiding here?"
Actually, he knew a bit more than Bai Xiaosheng. From the records in the Netherworld Book, he remembered that the Da Xue was an ancient heritage. They were an existing country since the time of the Da Zhou Dynasty, and even when the Pre-Qin unified the world, the Da Xue preserved its heritage.
Until the Tang Dynasty, the Da Xue ancient country was not at the top among all forces, but it was a first-class power with the existence of the Spirit Realm Eightfold strongmen.
As for these two suddenly appearing strongmen from the Da Xue ancient country, Pei Xuanjing really wanted to know their intentions, whether they're benevolent or malicious.
"Are you questioning this prince?" Xue Hanyi looked at Pei Xuanjing with a slight frown.
Perhaps Pei Xuanjing looked strong when he fought against eleven Spirit Realm strongmen alone earlier, but in Xue Hanyi's eyes, he didn't care.
Having reached the Spirit Realm Third Level, he, a genius among young people in the Da Xue ancient country and with a remarkable status, how would he tolerate anyone speaking to him like this.
Maybe Pei Xuanjing thought he was speaking politely, but in Xue Hanyi's view, this was undoubtedly an offense.
"Huh?" Pei Xuanjing replied, "If you think it's a challenge, then it is a challenge!"
Regardless of the intentions of these two sudden appearances, Pei Xuanjing knew one thing, that their appearance had already disrupted his plans.
Originally, he had united all parties by employing benefits. After showing his strength in the recent struggle, he intimidated those people to ensure the execution of his plan.
But the appearance of these two, no matter what their intentions were, undoubtedly made people think differently.
After all, once a lost force reappears, even if only the people of the Da Xue ancient country show up temporarily, this would mean that the remaining forces might appear as well.
"Hehe, it's been a long time since someone dared to talk to this prince like this." Xue Hanyi smirked.
Regarding the revival of this Ancestral Land, the Da Xue ancient country was fortunate to be the first to receive the news. For this, their ruler personally concealed the heavenly secret, using his supreme power to send these two back to their ancestral land.
As a new generation of strongmen growing up outside the domain, Xue Hanyi had no feelings for this ancestral land. In his eyes, this was undoubtedly an existence in a remote and poor region.
If it weren't for the fact that the many strongmen of the ancient country valued this place so much, even offering a reward he coveted, he absolutely wouldn't be willing to risk coming.
Of course, not only did he desire the generous reward, but since the revival of this heaven and earth had just begun, it could only accommodate strongmen up to the Spirit Realm Third Level, and Xue Hanyi was not necessarily able to get this opportunity.
Not long after entering the ancestral land, he heard about Pei Xuanjing's invitation for all parties to gather. He was also interested in the strongmen of the ancestral land, as this was related to the completion of his mission.
Just now, he had some understanding. Indeed, as he had recorded, when the various powers left, they took everything according to the agreement,
"Pei Xuanjing, you should understand, respect the strong." Xue Hanyi's expression was slightly cold, he said in a deep voice.
Even though many strongmen of Spirit Realm Onefold emerged in just a few years, which surprised him, Xue Hanyi remained confident.
After all, these people's strongest were merely at Spirit Realm Onefold. It would be easy for him to suppress them.
You should know that even if his strength was also suppressed, these people were definitely not his opponents.
Perhaps Pei Xuanjing had been hailed as the first in the world for too long and had not recognized the reality.
He should let him understand that he should respect the strong enough.
"Hmm? So you're really going to fight?" Pei Xuanjing frowned slightly. As he thought, it turned out to be like this.
When the great power belongs to oneself, every person believes in their own strength the most, especially the strong.
"How arrogant!" Xue Hanyi sneered, the temperature around him dropping by a few degrees instantly.
His palm was like a knife, slashing down at Pei Xuanjing.
The fierce knife aura split the sky like a stream of light, extremely brilliant.
Without uttering a word, Pei Xuanjing clenched his fist and struck out, the overwhelming fist force dominating the sky!
Boom!
The knife aura was instantly shattered by the fist force into countless rolling flows of air, sweeping all directions.
"Huh!" The previously confident Xue Hanyi wrinkled his brows, surprised by the power of Pei Xuanjing's punch.
"Big brother, this man is formidable." The woman who had been silently observing was also shocked by the power of Pei Xuanjing's punch just now. She reminded Xue Hanyi in a low voice.
"He's impressive only in this ancestral land, but that's about it." Xue Hanyi relaxed his brows and spoke to Xue Hanyue.
The woman next to him was called Xue Hanyue, from the Da Xue ancient country, and also a Spirit Realm Third Level strongman, just like him.
"Watch me capture him!" Xue Hanyi strode forward, his Primordial Qi surging around him.
Even though he was limited by heaven and earth, unable to exert his full strength in this world, the aura of the Spirit Realm Third Level he possessed was still undeniable.
He stood at the third level of the Nine Realms of Spirit, just one step away from the Spirit Realm Fourth Level, the realm of a Fifth Order practitioner.
Once he reached that realm, even in the ancient Xue country, he would be considered a central pillar, capable of acting as a general or lord to stabilize a region.
Not holding back, he intended to suppress his opponent instantly, demonstrating his unbeatable style and authority in this world to pave the way for his future plans.
Boom!
Frightening power exploded from him, countless Heaven and Earth Essence Qi gathered and roiled, causing heaven and earth to tremble due to his overwhelming strength.
In an instant, almost everyone felt an invisible yet heavy pressure overwhelming their hearts.
The sky, which has been in an autumn state, suddenly experienced a drastic drop in temperature, as if entering a piercing winter.
Endless ice crystals swirled around him. With a slap of his palm, they transformed into a spiraling Chi Dragon, released with a roar towards Pei Xuanjing, as if intending to swallow him whole.
Its momentum was grand, enough to shake the heavens and earth.
In everyone's eyes, a thousands-feet-long Chi Dragon hovered in the sky, casting a shadow on the earth, causing the sky to darken, and the mountains to tremble.
"What an extraordinary move. Even though his opponent only has the strength of the Spirit Realm Second Layer, the power of that move far exceeds it." Pei Xuanjing's eyes flashed with surprise.
He understood that the technique used by his opponent was not an ordinary martial arts technique; otherwise, it would not have such power.
If Xue Hanyi knew what Pei Xuanjing was thinking, he would undoubtedly sneer.
The technique he used originated from the state-level skill of the Ancient Xue Country. That Chi Dragon projection was a manifestation of the Guardian Beast of the Nation.
This kind of peerless skill was only available to Xue Hanyi because he was part of the royal family of the ancient country.
"However, it's still a bit lacking for me!" A smile appeared at the corners of Pei Xuanjing's mouth, and he immediately took action.
He didn't want to drag things out with his opponent. His priority was to capture him first.
After all, Pei Xuanjing was very curious about the Ancient Xue Country behind his opponent and the various forces from outside the world!
Boom!
An intense aura exploded from him, his deep Primordial Qi flowing around his body, causing fierce winds to swirl around him.
There were no particular techniques, just a simple punch.
With his current strength, terrifying physical power, and deep Primordial Qi, even the simplest punch was enough to unleash unimaginable power.
His Primordial Qi circulated around him, and the heat waves rolled and surged. With a punch, repeated sonic booms echoed in the air, as if intended to explode the air itself.
Xue Hanyi's face paled. Watching Pei Xuanjing, his robe fluttering and long hair flowing with the wind, he was visibly startled.
As Pei Xuanjing's fist was thrown, a series of explosive sounds roared, stirring up endless gusts of wind. The fist roared out like thunder, sweeping across.
With this punch, he discarded all fancy movements, only relying on the pure power added to it. It seemed as though the power of heaven and earth had converged on his punch, causing the world to shake.
Boom!
The loud noise was thunderous, echoing between heaven and earth.
The punch created a surge of force that was vast and mighty, directly shattering the large Chi Dragon into smoke.
Splat!
Xue Hanyi, who was previously confident, spat out a mouthful of blood, shocked by the fierce power. His eyes were filled with terror.
One punch!
Just one punch left Xue Hanyi defeated and seriously injured.
"Elder brother!"
Xue Hanyue, who had been watching the battle, suddenly turned pale. She reached a hand towards Pei Xuanjing, trying to stop him.
Unfortunately, it didn't mean anything.
Pei Xuanjing took a step forward and threw another punch!
With another punch, Xue Hanyi was defeated!
It was clean and decisive.
The expression on Pei Xuanjing's face was stern as he declared, "I return your words to you; you should respect the strong."
"Pei Xuanjing, you're courting death!" Xue Hanyi's eyes flashed with cold light, murderous intent radiating from him!
One needed to remember what the Sovereign had said: the world hadn't yet revived, and since his own realm was at the Spirit Realm Third Level, even if he was suppressed in these ancestral lands and couldn't use his full strength, he should be undefeated.
He couldn't accept it, couldn't understand how he was injured by the opponent's punch.
He had actually just wanted to suppress the opponent and use him for his purposes.
But now, he had no intention of showing mercy. He decided to kill his opponent and only then could he wash away his humiliation.
Boom!
A terrifying aura exploded from him, and in a blink of an eye, a sword appeared in his hand.
The Sword of Law!
This sword was formed by those who reached the fourth level of the Spirit Realm, i.e. the Fifth Order power users. This sword is known to have a terrifying power as it contains the understanding of Tao by Fifth Order power users.
The sword was conjured by a Fifth Order practitioner for his self-defense before he entered the Ancestral Land. Although Xue Hanyi felt it was unnecessary, he accepted it.
He never expected such a strong enemy like Pei Xuanjing to appear in the Ancestral Land, thus forcing him to use this sword of law.
The moment the Sword of Law appeared, almost everyone felt a terrifying pressure.
This horrifying power caused heaven and earth to tremble, and the sky changed.
"Die!"
Without any hesitation, Xue Hanyi swung the sword down.
He stared coldly at Pei Xuanjing with a ruthless smile on his face. It was all Pei Xuanjing's own doing.
Unfortunately, his smile hadn't fully bloomed when his face abruptly changed.
Pei Xuanjing, facing the descending Sword of Law, showed no sign of fear or panic that Xue Hanyi expected – instead, he simply had a slight smile on his face.
The next moment, the Primordial Qi within Pei Xuanjing swelled out, his body surrounded by fluctuating seasons, and a feeling of being independent from the world surrounded him.
Before him, blue, red, yellow, white, and black light flickered. These lights continuously intertwined, quickly blending together to form an unfathomably mystical scroll.
It seemed to symbolize spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and encompass the Five Directions and Five Elements, the Four Seasons, and Five Orders.
A purple-green light radiated from Pei Xuanjing, then dipped into the scroll. The purple-green light seemed to transform into a thunderous snake, wriggling within the scroll.
This instantly made the scroll look more vibrant and threatening, appearing more lively and lifelike.
Facing the incoming sword, Pei Xuanjing simply reached out his hand and grabbed at the void!
Hum!
The piercing Sword of Law was grasped directly in his hand. The sword vibrated as if it wanted to struggle but couldn't break free, and the six-colored divine light along his palm dyed the Sword of Law. The sword's struggle gradually weakened.
"A Sword of Law?"
Feeling the principle contained within this Sword of Law, Pei Xuanjing mumbled to himself.
But in a flash, he understood its method of formation.
The next moment, the power of the Sword of Law was utterly depleted and dispersed into thin air, as if it had never existed.
"How is this possible!" Xue Hanyue's normally impassive face was filled with immense shock.
No one understood the power of this Sword of Law better than them, but for it to be so easily subdued and destroyed by Pei Xuanjing, it overturned her perception.
Xue Hanyi's gaze towards Pei Xuanjing was dazed; his eyes looked as though they had lost their vitality, becoming dull and lifeless.
An unbelievable guess formed in his mind. With a somewhat hoarse voice, he addressed Pei Xuanjing, "You've actually entered the Fifth Order!"
The Sword of Law is the unique method of the Fifth Order Cultivator. An average cultivator could hardly resist its force, let alone deplete its law and principle. Only one of equal Fifth Order strength could accomplish this!
"Fifth Order?" Pei Xuanjing lightly frowned, immediately understanding the hierarchy the other was referring to. He calmly replied, "If you consider the Fourth Level of the Spiritual Realm as the Fifth Order, then indeed, I have entered the Fifth Order."
Unfortunately for Xue Hanyi, his luck was a bit sour. If he had used other lethal moves, even a real Divine Weapon would pose a greater threat to Pei Xuanjing than this Sword of Law.
After all, due to the current resurgence of Heaven and Earth, even if Pei Xuanjing possesses the ability of the Fourth Level of the Spiritual Realm, the power he could exhibit would at most be equivalent to Xue Hanyi's, both of whom belong to the Spiritual Realm.
Regrettably, his killing move just happened to be this Sword of Law, which symbolizes the Taoist cultivation methods and principles of the Fifth Order Cultivator. This killing move might be almost unstoppable for other opponents, but for Pei Xuanjing, it was the least threatening.
After all, even if Pei Xuanjing's abilities were currently restricted, his realm was undiminished, and his understanding of the laws of Heaven and Earth never waned.
One might say he was on the same level as this Sword of Law. But after all, the Sword of Law was an inanimate object, how could it ever really harm Pei Xuanjing?
"Fourth Level of the Spiritual Realm!" Xue Hanyue's eyes showed an look of disbelief as she shook her head in surprise, "That's absolutely impossible!"
This ancestral land had barely started its resurgence. The power it could bear should definitely not exceed the Second Layer of the Spiritual Realm. Even their Spirit Realm Third Level was noticeably suppressed.
Moreover, the king himself had said this. As the king of the ancient Xue country, such a powerful man would never be wrong.
"Little sister!" Xue Hanyi stopped Xue Hanyue's words.
He looked at Pei Xuanjing with eyes full of shock and disbelief. No matter what, he couldn't understand why a Fifth Order Cultivator would appear in this ancestral land, for this had shattered his beliefs.
But the fact remained that the man in front of him was indeed a Fifth Order Cultivator; the ease with which he just dismissed the Sword of Law was proof enough.
What worried Xue Hanyi most was that, judging by the time of the world's revival, it had only been a few years. In such a short time, the man in front of him had risen from a mere Third Order common martial artist to Fifth Order. What a monstrous talent was needed for that!
This was pretty much unheard of, even in their own territories.
Moreover, if everything was as the king had told them before they set out—that the revival of Heaven and Earth wasn't an overnight event, but a gradual process, and the strength of those able to return was also increasing—then they had a problem.
Originally, the ones who could return were at most Second Layer of the Spiritual Realm; their return had cost the king immense energy and resources.
For a Fifth Order expert to truly return to the ancestral land, it would take at least ten years, no less.
The implications were almost unimaginable.
Do you know what this meant? It meant that even if he was just a Cultivator newly entering the Fifth Order, he would be an absolute powerhouse in this ancestral land. No one else here would be his match.
"Fifth Order! Never had I thought that I would encounter a Fifth Order Cultivator here." Xue Hanyi's expression was somewhat gloomy.
People like Zhao Baiyang in the distance were also dismayed, their faces filled with complicated emotions beyond words.
From the moment Xue Hanyi and his sister had appeared, the group's emotions had been fluctuating wildly, ceaselessly.
Upon hearing the pair hail from the supposedly lost ancient country, many thoughts were provoked in Zhao Baiyang and the others.
If the people from the ancient Xue country could return, it meant that the country had not perished in the unprecedented disaster that had occurred thousands of years ago during the Tang Dynasty.
This indicated that, besides them, there must be other powers out there. Maybe one day, those people would return too.
Moreover, some might have already returned and were just hiding somewhere, not blatantly exposing themselves like Xue Hanyi.
For Pei Xuanjing, the sudden appearance of Xue Hanyi and the others had disrupted his planning and calculations.
And for Zhao Baiyang and others, wasn't it the same?
Having quickly broken through to the Spiritual Realm after the revival of Heaven and Earth, everyone had their own aims and goals for the new era.
Pei Xuanjing chose to compromise for the sake of his own plan, so why should Zhao Baiyang and the others compromise to achieve peace and develop their own power, too?
Everything had been going according to plan, with Zhao Baiyang and the others challenging Pei Xuanjing just to see the difference in their strengths.
Although they were quite humiliated by their loss to Pei Xuanjing, the outcome was completely within their expectations.
However, the appearance of Jie Xi Lei and Xue Hanyi caught them off guard.
If after consulting the Netherworld Book and simulating the World of Myriad Manifestations, Pei Xuanjing had managed to guess this event, then Zhao Baiyang and the others had absolutely no knowledge about it.
So, when Xue Hanyi appeared and brought up the powerful Xue ancient country, Zhai Baiyang and the others were taken aback.
Following their engagement, the terrifying strength Xue Hanyi demonstrated—even though he was merely a vanguard in the Xue ancient country—caused Zhao Baiyang and the others to fear these ancient powers.
Some even felt a bit bleak, feeling the path forward to be tough. After all, if these powers were so formidable, whatever they were fighting for at the moment would still be out of their reach. They would still be looted once those people returned.
However, when Pei Xuanjing took action and once again demonstrated astonishing power, it completely overturned their understanding.
Pei Xuanjing defeated the pair effortlessly in such an unsophisticated manner, so cleanly, with just two moves—it was even simpler than when he fought against them.